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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:15 am Post subject: China to redefine native-speaker teachers |
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Chinese to redefine native speaker teachers?
EL Gazette | Jan-Feb 2019
http://www.elgazette.com
China is set to redefine native-speaker teachers to include citizens of former colonies where English is used as a second language, according to Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Santa Romana.
Talking to the press after discussions with President Xi late last year, Santa Romana told the Manila Standard: ‘They expanded their definition of English-speaking countries. They said native-speaking countries and countries that were colonised by these native-speaking countries.'
Such news, if confirmed, will come as a relief to recruiters who have struggled to fill posts in the country’s private language schools, estimated to number at least 50,000, with native-speaker teachers who meet the visa requirements of a first degree, a TEFL certificate accepted by the government, and two years classroom experience.
To fill the demand, agents have taken to hiring native speakers with no qualifications and sending them into the country on student visas with the promise they can switch to a teaching visa on arrival. This resulted in waves of crackdowns, where unqualified teachers are rounded up, detained and then deported (e.g., over 50 South African teens were rounded up and flown out of China just before Christmas).
However, teachers from ESL countries may face severe restrictions, if the agreement on Filipino teachers signed early in January is anything to go by. Under the agreement, teachers, who must have a first degree or post-graduate degree in English teaching, are forbidden from working for the state sector and can only teach in ‘tertiary education.’ This is thought to mean they can only work in private language schools for adults and cannot be hired in China’s burgeoning young learner market.
(End of article) |
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getbehindthemule
Joined: 15 Oct 2015 Posts: 712 Location: Shanghai
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Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:10 am Post subject: |
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The demand for teachers is so high here, I'm not one bit surprised. Many Filipinos have better English than the majority of white faces here. Can only be good news for those of us NETs with proper quals and experience. But looks alarm bells for those here on incorrect visas/quals and newbies to a certain extent. |
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Simon in Suzhou
Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 404 Location: GZ
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Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2019 8:05 am Post subject: |
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I would say this is a VERY mixed bag. I'm happy for qualified teachers with near-native English. I've met several of them here in China. However, I've also met Filipinos and Indians, etc with TERRIBLE oral English. Students might as well just keep their Chinese teacher in these cases. But that is true for many of the white-skinned blondes thrown in front of students as well.
Perhaps this will encourage employers to actually hire qualified, well-spoken English teachers regardless of their race or nationality...ah, but probably not. |
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voyagerksa
Joined: 29 Apr 2015 Posts: 140
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Posted: Mon Mar 25, 2019 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Do you newbies still want to make a career out of ESL? "Yeah you did read that right, we pay a starting salary of 2500 Yuan monthly. Our age limit of 30 was also correct." |
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In the heat of the moment
Joined: 22 May 2015 Posts: 393 Location: Italy
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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My first foreign colleague ever was from the Philippines and she was (to me, a total noob then) an excellent teacher. She was also a really nice person. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009 Posts: 1986
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Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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The average wage in the Phillipines is about 500 Kwai a month. You might like to think about what that means. |
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rioux
Joined: 26 Apr 2012 Posts: 880
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Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2019 10:39 pm Post subject: |
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It means virtually all of them will do pretty much anything and put up with pretty much anything because it is still so much better than the garbage pay and working conditions they will get back home. |
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jimpellow
Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:30 am Post subject: |
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This must be considered in the context of what has led to the current shortage. Pre 2013, China experienced a moderate shortage of native speaking teachers and the supply was augmented by speakers from other countries usually working illegally. The biggest reason then why China had a shortage was due to poor working conditions, poor pay, mistreatment etc. Three out of four teachers left within a year. China decided to address the issue by making it impossible for non native speakers to teach via a very onerous work permit process and stepping up the enforcement through raids. They made a very slight attempt to address the issues of mistreatment. Then they added the social tax which directly and more so indirectly has dampened wage increases despite soaring demand. Now they have created the current situation which they are addressing by permitting non native speakers to teach legally. One can argue to what extent non native speakers are qualified to teach English as a second language, but it will undoubtedly suppress wages for native speakers further and exacerbate the shortage they tried to eliminate. A pretty funny and very Mainland Chinese strategy. |
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rioux
Joined: 26 Apr 2012 Posts: 880
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:45 am Post subject: |
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jimpellow wrote: |
Three out of four teachers left within a year. |
Wow. That turnover rate was atrocious. I wonder if it has improved much? |
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Blistering Zanazilz
Joined: 06 Jan 2018 Posts: 180
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:59 am Post subject: |
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rioux wrote: |
jimpellow wrote: |
Three out of four teachers left within a year. |
Wow. That turnover rate was atrocious. I wonder if it has improved much? |
You don't actually believe that do you? Unless he knows something nobody else knows then a better question is how he arrived at that figure without access to any accurate database. Just because you read it on Dave's ESL Cafe doesn't mean it's fact. |
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jimpellow
Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:56 am Post subject: |
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Blistering Zanazilz wrote: |
rioux wrote: |
jimpellow wrote: |
Three out of four teachers left within a year. |
Wow. That turnover rate was atrocious. I wonder if it has improved much? |
You don't actually believe that do you? Unless he knows something nobody else knows then a better question is how he arrived at that figure without access to any accurate database. Just because you read it on Dave's ESL Cafe doesn't mean it's fact. |
Fair point. There was source to that a few years back but mention of those would start an entire new firestorm. Perhaps it would have been better to simply state that is and remains high due to a variety of reasons and I would have to think the ever increasing pollution has only worsened it. |
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Simon in Suzhou
Joined: 09 Aug 2011 Posts: 404 Location: GZ
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:37 am Post subject: |
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Yes, it's harder to get a job now with the paperwork hoops to jump through. I'm sure this frustrates many of the unqualified teachers who had to leave or work illegally under threat of deportation (Boo f'in Hoo). It is certainly annoying for those of us who are qualified who have stayed. ON THE OTHER HAND, despite all the whining (and outright dishonest claims) on this thread, teacher salaries are at an all time high in China right now and continue going up because of the demand, while other ESL locales like South Korea and Japan have had utterly stagnant salaries for a decade. Jobs here are now on par with the deflated market in Saudi.
I have minor frustrations dealing with China, but my salary has tripled since I arrived 10 years ago and doubled in the last 3 years. This is not an anomaly. |
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Kalkstein
Joined: 25 Aug 2016 Posts: 80
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 8:17 am Post subject: |
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Simon in Suzhou wrote: |
Yes, it's harder to get a job now with the paperwork hoops to jump through. I'm sure this frustrates many of the unqualified teachers who had to leave or work illegally under threat of deportation (Boo f'in Hoo). It is certainly annoying for those of us who are qualified who have stayed. ON THE OTHER HAND, despite all the whining (and outright dishonest claims) on this thread, teacher salaries are at an all time high in China right now and continue going up because of the demand, while other ESL locales like South Korea and Japan have had utterly stagnant salaries for a decade. Jobs here are now on par with the deflated market in Saudi.
I have minor frustrations dealing with China, but my salary has tripled since I arrived 10 years ago and doubled in the last 3 years. This is not an anomaly. |
That's just your salary with more experience, not salary inflation. From what I have seen the increase has been about 30% in the last eight years (being generous)... but the living costs have also soared. what cost me 20 yuan 10 years ago is now 40 yuan. Rent has at least doubled and is still increasing at a fast pace. Everything is a lot more expensive.
There will come a day when housing will not be covered due to exorbitant rental costs and it is fast approaching (already here in big cities). |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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The topic of this thread is about China redefining native-speaker teachers. |
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nimadecaomei
Joined: 22 Sep 2016 Posts: 605
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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nomad soul wrote: |
The topic of this thread is about China redefining native-speaker teachers. |
People are simply discussing reasons for this change in policy, which is completely related to the topic. |
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